(RNS) At this critical juncture, where some religious leaders have issued an all-out warning of a third world war, quoting the Bible to support the “annihilation of Damascus” is like poling at an inflamed appendix; don’t manage it promptly and it may rupture, triggering a much larger regional war

(RNS) A new Catholic translation of the Bible tweaks an Old Testament text — Isaiah 7:14 — that many Christians consider a prophecy about Jesus’ birth. So, why did they alter a 2,745-year-old prophecy, and does it change what the church teaches about Jesus’ virgin birth? By Daniel Burke.